Agronomy Geeks West — Ep. 14: Spread the (Variety) Love, Not the Clubroot

I promise at some point to jump off this Rotation Bandwagon and start talking about something else agronomy-related, but for now, humour me while I beat this ailing-but-still-alive-but-just-barely horse.

Where was I? Oh, yes. Rotation. In my last podcast, featuring Randy Kutcher, we learned many things about plant pathology — how genetic resistance to a disease works, its weaknesses and why careful management of genetic resistance is necessary to preserve the usefulness of the trait.

To build off of that discussion, I’m joined in this Agronomy Geeks episode by Arvel Lawson, DEKALB agronomist for east central Alberta. For this episode, we decided to drill down to talk clubroot only — its spread, how to prevent it and, most importantly, what to consider when choosing a clubroot-resistant variety. Lawson offers several great tips, including a nod to carefully selecting for maturity, and stresses the need for longer canola rotations, proper scouting techniques, soil movement management and proper harvest management.